1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an electronic telephone apparatus and a method for managing pieces of information (data) relating to telephone number lists stored in the telephone, in which the display and use of the data is allowed only after an access code is inputted into the telephone.
2. Background and Material Information
Telephones exist that automatically store (memorize) information and data relating to telephone numbers that have been made and/or received. This information is typically maintained in suitable lists prepared by the user of the telephone, or automatically by the telephone itself.
As a result, a record of each call that has been made or received, together with the corresponding date, duration, number and name of the calling or called persons, may be maintained. Certain telephones also permit the verbal or textual storing of special data, such as, for example, notes about the conversation.
Such electronic telephones may include a security access feature that prevents an unauthorized individual from making outgoing calls, or utilizing other features of the telephone. Accordingly, unauthorized individuals may be limited to, for example, receiving incoming calls and/or making emergency calls (e.g., calls to 911).
Telephone devices, such as, for example, mobile type telephones, are designed by the manufacturer on the assumption that the telephone will be primarily used by a single user. Such telephones require only that a single access code be input to gain access to all of the capabilities of the telephone, with the possible exception of reprogramming of function parameters of the telephone, which generally requires the input of a special access code.
However, a problem occurs when such a telephone includes only a single access code but is used by multiple individuals (such as, for example, employees of a company that owns the telephone). In this situation, private data of one individual would be available to all the other individuals of the telephone. The stored data may be confidential, and the undesired exposure of the stored confidential data (or the calls received by the user(s) of the telephone) may violate the privacy of the user(s).
Once the access code has been inputted to activate such prior art telephones, any person using the telephone can review all the data stored in the telephone. regardless of whether the data was stored by that individual or by another individual. Similarly, the user of the telephone can retrieve all the data stored in the telephone (including data pertaining to all incoming and/or outgoing calls), such as, for example, telephone numbers, length of the telephone conversation, data and time of the telephone conversations, memo data stored during the telephone conversation, etc., regardless of who stored the data.
It is noted that it is possible, with a telephone that includes an automatic memorization function, to provide for the automatic erasure of the list corresponding to, for example, outgoing calls, incoming calls and/or the corresponding notes. However, such an operation can be very annoying, and, in any event, negates the advantage of providing the automatic memorization feature in the first place.